Speeding Cars
by Keys Studio
Summary: Modern day AU. Natsu is a girl, but nobody really knows. Well, give or take maybe or two people, but that was beside the point. With her father Igneel off fighting in a war, Natsu has to hold down the fort back at home with her trusty sidekick, Happy! When she meets a certain snake lover in the store one day, will she find love? Language, het, Fem!Natsu, Cobra x Fem!Natsu.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning(s): Genderbend, language, some nudity, OOC, and implied lemon in later chapters! (Hence why it's M people!)**

**I don't own Fairy Tail! Hiro Mashima-sama does! :D**

**[xXx]**

What are you afraid of? The Boogeyman who hides under your bed, changing your sweet dreams into wretched nightmares? The monster lurking in your closet, waiting for you to go to bed and then jump out and scare you? The creature who stalks you in the darkness and pounces and attacks you when you least expect it? Maybe the spider who takes up residence in the upper left hand corner of your window who appears to have long, wide pinchers and can possibly eat your face off? All fears are real. All fears have some sort of back story to them, whether they belong to your ancestors or to yourself. My fear, though, was none of the aforementioned things and was more closely related to the latter of the two options provided.

My fear was to be left all alone, of abandonment.

It was a deep seated fear that I guess started up when I found out that my birth father abandoned my mother and myself when I was four years old to run off with some old girlfriend of his. It deepened when my mother killed herself right in front of me when I was eight, giving me a small smile and apologizing over and over, that, even though she didn't want to leave me, she couldn't take it anymore. I had been traumatized by the event for nearly four years, one of the police officers who had found me rocking in front of her body having taken me in and paid for therapy sessions four times a week. Everyone had asked him why he did it instead of sending me to an orphanage.

"Because he's just a boy," he would always say in a matter of fact tone. At the time, everyone believed it. Most did when I hit puberty and I lacked the breasts I was supposed to grow. Igneel would always just tell me that I would grow them eventually. It wasn't something I minded though. I didn't have to worry about hiding anything from anyone. All I had to do was keep my hair short and I would be fine. Well, that, and avoid going to the restrooms at school and other public places. Not to mention that I had to carefully hide my lady essentials when that horrible time of the month hit like a right hook to the gut. The only people who ever knew of my true gender were my doctors and Igneel.

I was currently home alone, Igneel having gone off to be in the military since he had been drafted the year proir. I was being watched over by my best friend (and pet!) Happy, a Rusian Blue with no markings. Sure, he was a spoiled rotten little cat (I would easily admit to that seeing as I'm the one who spoiled him), and it was really just _me_ watching over _him_, but you know what? I was just glad that wasn't completely alone at home. Heck, I had never once felt alone since Igneel left thanks to Happy. He liked following me around, no matter where I went. If I had to leave the house on a non-school/non-work related basis, he went and dragged his retractable leash for me just so he could be with me.

"Come here, Happy," I smiled, kneeling before the door. I was dressed and ready to go out to the local food store, needing to stock up on basic things like bread and milk, a gray short sleeve shirt over my torso, my usual scarf that Igneel had given to me years ago secured around my shoulders and neck, long blue jeans that had seen better days on my legs, and black sandals on my feet. My growing pink hair was tied back with a small rubber band. I would have to go to the hair salon and ask them to trim up my hair again soon.

With a cute little meow that sounded vaguely like an 'Aye!', Happy scampered off for a moment before returning with his dark blue retractable leash. He nudged it against my foot with what looked like a smile. I smiled in return, rubbing his cute little head affectionately before attatching the leash to the black collar around his neck. Standing, I lengthened the leash a good bit before opening the door. Once outside, I locked up the house behind us, smiling to myself. "I think I can afford to get you a special treat this week, Happy," I told him. "Maybe some... tasty tasty fish?"

Happy seemed pleased by this, nodding his head up at me and meowing in joy.

"Fish it is then!" I laughed.

"Hey, Natsu," smiled my neighbor's daughter, her own cat, a white Asian, in her arms. The female cat, Charle, saw Happy and hopped down from the girl's arms onto the ground. Charle nuzzled her head under Happy's chin, and the male returned the nuzzle with a soft purr.

"Hey, Wendy," I smiled in returned. "It looks like Charle is warming up to Happy, finally."

"Yeah," the blue haired girl replied a little happily. "It's been a couple of weeks, but I'm glad that they can finally be friends."

I nodded, kneeling and offering my hand to the white feline. She sniffed my hand before headbutting my palm, wanting me to pet her. I did just that, giggling softly. "She's a pretty little girl, just like her friend."

Wendy blushed at my words, shyly looking away. "I-I'm not that pretty..."

I looked up at her and grinned. She was wearing a red tube top with denim shorts on, black flats on her feet. Her long, blue hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, keeping it out of her face and off of her shoulders. For a twelve year old little girl, she was very beautiful, naturally. I knew of some boys who wholeheartedly would agree. "Wendy, you're a very pretty girl. Any boy who sees you and wants to be with you will be one lucky fella." That only served to make her blush all the more. I stood, much to Charle's disappointment. She began to paw at my leg. I leaned over, poking her lightly on the nose. "I have to go, Charle." She huffed at me, sticking her nose up in the air and turning back to Wendy. She then strutted her way back to her, looking up at her expectantly.

"Going to the store?" the blue haired girl asked, picking up her white cat into her arms. She stroked her fur lovingly.

I nodded, smiling. "Need anything?"

"I'm good. Thank you, though."

I waved slightly. "I'll see you later, then, Wendy."

"Bye, Natsu," she waved in return.

With that, I took Happy and we left back down the road, we both feeling overwhelmingly joyful. I knew that seeing the female cat made my own feline friend's day. Seeing just one of my human friends made me chipper. "Do you want to go over to Wendy's house after we get back from the store?" I teased. I received an 'Aye!' like meow in response, so I took it as a 'Yes'. "Then we shall!" I grinned insanely, stretching slightly. It was was ten minute walk to the store, probably a thirty minute stroll and collect, three minute check out, then a ten minute walk back. So... I used my fingers to perform the simple math. "Ten plus thirty is forty... Forty plus three is forty-three... Forty-three plus ten is fifty-three! So about an hour, that works." I sucked at math, so what?

Once the math was figured up, I nodded to myself in approval. I then happily walked the nine last minutes to the store. Once there, I picked Happy up and placed him in the cat pin that was next to the door. There was a guard watching over the cats and nodded when he saw me. I waved at him with a smile, handing him my leash. I then went inside of the store, grabbing a small shopping cart as I did so. Going through the aisles, I picked off some things from the shelves that I wanted/needed.

A box of cereal (Apple Jacks, for the win), some boxed meals (easy to make), a couple of cans of green beans, some cans of corn, a couple of loaves of wheat bread, a loaf of white bread, a bag of flour, a bag of sugar, a five pound roll of hamburger meat, a gallon of two percent white milk, a container of eggs, a box of stick butter, a pack of hotdogs, a bag of chicken breasts, and Happy's fish. I had to get one more thing, a box of Pocky that I wanted to give Wendy on my way home since she never had any before, but I was having problems reaching the high shelf. I hated how I was short and I couldn't reach the good stuff. I had half a mind to start climbing the shelves to get a box. I was about to start doing so when a caramel colored hand reached up above me with ease, grabbing two boxes. One was handed to me.

"You wanted just one, right?" a voice mused behind me.

I turned, about to tell him thank you. Then I saw what he looked like. Smooth, caramel colored skin, stunning, though beady (like my own) violet eyes, maroon, slicked back hair, a mischevious smirk with dazzling, pearly whites, and a well toned body.

Needless to say that my hormones went into rage mode.

I didn't realize I was staring until he chuckled. "Like what you see?" he asked me, jolting me right out of my thoughts. His fingers were unhumanly smooth as they delicately lifted my chin. His breath was hot against my ear, making a blush shoot across my cheeks and the bridge of my nose. "I'm a happy bisexual who would love to take you home if you would let me." It would have took everything in me to tell him no.

"Cobra, hands to yourself!" snapped a cashier who could so obviously see what the male was doing to me.

The male who was attempting to seduce his way into my pants pulled away, pouting at the cashier. "But Midnight. I'm a hormonal boy in need of release."

"That's what your hand is for."

Cobra huffed, pulling away from me. He then flashed me a suggestive smile. "Can I have your number, cutey?"

"U-um... sure..." I stuttered out. What was wrong with me?! I watched him pull out his iPhone 4 and I began to tell him the basic information, that being my name and number. He smirked at me.

"I'll send you a text so you know what my number is," he told me. He turned to walk away, slapping my bottom along the way. "I expect there to be some sort of thank you in my future, alright?" He then vanished.

I swooned.

Shortly after, however, I slapped myself back to my senses. What was wrong with me? He was a stranger! Ugh! I pinched myself, hoping that I was dreaming. Sadly (okay, not really, but a small part of me felt that way), I wasn't. I nearly jumped when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Taking it out, the blush on my cheeks that had started to fade returned. On the screen was a new message from a number I didn't recognize. Opening it, my blush increased.

_Don't miss me too much, Pinky. We'll meet again soon enough. ;)_

I saved his number, trying to shake myself out of it. I was pretending to be a guy, meaning I had to pretend to be straight. That was how I tried to view things. Much to my displeasure at the moment, however, I was as straight as a metal ruler, and I found myself somewhat (more like _a lot_) attracted to Cobra. Tossing my box of Pocky into the cart, I tried to forget about him. It would be for the best until I calmed myself. I began to go through the check out line with the cashier named Midnight when my phone vibrated again. I groaned to myself, ignoring it. I would answer the handsome - _NOT_ handsome! (that was what I was trying to tell myself; you can _so_ tell that it was working) - male after I got home. However, my phone went off again.

Midnight raised a brow before rolling his eyes. "You answer your phone. He's persistent and won't leave you alone until you answer him." I nodded in appreciation, finished putting my items on the conveyer belt. He rang everything up as I answered the texts on my phone. One was from my friend Erza (who was dangerously close to figuring out my secret) and the other was from Cobra. Correction, the other _two_ were from Cobra since he just messaged me again. I checked his real fast.

_Just imagine the things I would do to you if you ever came over to my place. ;)_

_Needless to say, you won't be walking for a few days. You might even need a wheelchair. ;)_

My face flared crimson. I texted back furiously before he decided to text me a _very_ detailed text message of just what he would do to me.

_if you want to be in my pants anytime soon i suggest you ask me out on a few dates and stay with me at least six months!_

_Oh, a boy who knows what he wants. I like that. ;) How about a date with me tonight, then?_

_what do you plan on doing on this date?_

_Maybe a dinner and/or movie. You'll enjoy it as a first date with your Serpetine God. ;)_

I snorted. Did he seriously just call himself Serpertine God?

_what time should i be ready?_

_Five. Meet me outside of the store at that time._

_hey! no winky face!_

_What?_

_you kept winking at me!_

_Oh, yeah. ;) Sorry, I was preoccupied with petting some kitties._

I was about to reply again with a question along the lines of 'What kitties?' when Midnight tapped my shoulder. "Sixty-four dollars seventy-three cents." I paid him, loading my cart back up after I shoved my phone into my pocket. I promised to return it when I came back later and he just told me to go and to have a nice day. I left the store to see Cobra petting Happy who was excited to be petted. I raised a brow when I decided to answer another text that I remembered receiving. I pulled out my phone back out of my pocket, remembering quickly that I had ignored Erza. I read the text that she sent me.

_Natsu, I'm at your house. We need to talk._

**[xXx]**

**Review please! :D I love reviews! Especially from people who like my stories! :P**

**~Dawn**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning(s): Genderbend, language, some nudity, OOC, and implied lemon in later chapters! (Hence why it's M people!)**

**I don't own Fairy Tail! Hiro Mashima-sama does! :D**

**[xXx]**

I blanched as I read that text message, over and over. _She_ wanted to talk? _She_ was at my house?! I felt myself grow frantic. Was I in trouble? If so, who told on me? Who did I beat up? Maybe she found out that Gray and I had been fighting again! No, that couldn't have been it... What did I do? When did I do it? Where did it happen? Why was she at my house? How did she find out about whatever it was I did? I inhaled sharply. Maybe she figured me out...! Maybe she figured out that I was _really_ a girl and now she plans on lecturing me or something like that! Oh, what was I gonna do if that was the case?! I was beginning to hyperventilate. I felt light headed. I nearly fell over.

If it weren't for Cobra who noticed what was going on with me, I think I would have fallen over onto the ground and I would have had an even bigger panic attack than I was already having.

"Are you alright?" Cobra asked me worriedly, his arms delicately wrapped around my middle. He was the only thing holding me upright at that moment.

"I-I'm fine..." I murmured softly. Despite my words though, I didn't move to get away from him. Instead, I leaned more into his embrace. It was warm and welcoming and, well, embracing. "Just... startled, that's all... Unexpected houseguest and whatnot... Y-you know how that goes, right?"

Cobra seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Do you need a ride home?" he asked her. "So you can go take care of your unexpected guest?"

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I found it rather humorous that only just a few minutes before, the red head was trying to flirt his way into my pants, and now, he was trying to help me out, seemingly no strings attached. I didn't voice those thoughts, though. Instead, I shook my head. "I... don't do very well with vehicles..." I murmured a little shyly. I was actually telling the truth about that, too. Ever since I was little, for whatever reason, I would get violently ill in any sort of mode of transportation that wasn't walking or running. I slowly forced myself to stand on my own two feet. "Thank you for the offer, though..."

Cobra seemed to frown a little at my words. "Are you sure?" he asked me a little worriedly. "You almost had a panic attack..."

I forced myself to nod, offering him a sheepish, toothy grin. "Yeah, I'm sure." I walked over and collected Happy from the guard, setting him in the cart that I, for a second time that day, promised to bring back later on in the day. "I'll text you later, okay?"

"At least let me walk you home..."

My grin faltered. I shook my head. "No, no... Besides, the person who's at my house probably would be more comfortable with me coming home alone. She's a bit overprotective, so she would interrogate you as to why you're with me..." As in, it would be beneficial to both parties involved that Cobra didn't show up with me at my house. That, and I barely know the guy. He already tried to get into my pants once, so I didn't want him showing up at my house and trying again. That, and I wasn't lying about Erza's interrogation of the male. She would ask him so many questions (at least I thought she would). I started to move towards home when Cobra's caramel colored hand delicately grabbed my arm.

"At least let me know that you made it home safe," he told me. "There have been some weird people roaming about lately..." I could hear the worry in his voice and somewhat pieced together his personality. He was a flirt, yes, but he was also a caring person. Even if he did seem to have a mask up about himself.

I gave him a soft pat and grinned a bit more, this time in confidence. "Don't worry about me. I'm a strong boy. I know how to take care of myself." With that, I left, leaving behind a worried but amused Cobra.

"At least let me know that you made it home safe," he told me. "There have been some weird people roaming about lately…" I could hear the worry in his voice and somewhat pierced together his personality. He was a flirt, yes, but he was also a caring person. Even if he did seem to have a mask up about himself.

I gave him a soft pat and grinned a bit more, this time in confidence. "Don't worry about my. I'm a strong boy. I know how to take care of myself." With that, I left, leaving behind a worried but amused Cobra.

As I started my walk home, pushing the cart along in front of me, I noticed something was up with Happy. I glanced down some to investigate the strange sensation that I was feeling about him. He was looking at me curiously, suspiciously, his head tilted some as he tried to analyze me. "What's wrong, buddy?" I asked him.

He looked behind me at the store and then back to me and then once more at the store. His eyes finally landed back on me. Frowning, I think I figured out what he was thinking in that strange little cat head of his. "Hey, now. Don't be getting any ideas. I just met him today, okay?" I defended myself. Okay, _why_ was I defending myself to my cat…? It wasn't like he could talk back to me. Happy merely seemed to smile at me, tilting his head and closing his eyes, a low purr rumbling through him as he lazily flicked his tail back and forth. The action made me a bit uncomfortable.

The rest of the walk home was uneventful and a bit lonely. It was as though nobody had been around this time of day. Once I made it to my house, I sent Cobra a quick text that I was alright, that there wasn't anything to worry about. Looking back up at my home, I swallowed. I had to face Erza, and that alone was enough to set my nerves on edge. Licking my suddenly dry lips, I forced myself to brave myself before I dared to go over to my door. Unlocking it, I peered inside.

Erza wasn't in the immediate vicinity, it seemed, which was good for my sake. Pulling Happy out of the cart, I sat him down on the floor and then started to grab all of the bags of groceries I had, careful to balance out the delicate things on one arm and the rest of the things on the other. Closing the door behind myself, I ventured inside, taking casual glances into each room I passed to see if there was a chance that Erza was inside. I had yet to see hide or hair of her as I approached the kitchen.

That was where I found her, rummaging around in the cabinets to find what I could only assume to be was food. Nervously, I cleared my throat and managed out, "H-hey, Erza…" She noticed my presence in the doorway and stood, crossing her arms under her chest. Oh, that stance always scared the crap out of me, especially when she has that serious look on her face…

"Natsu," she addressed calmly, as though there was nothing wrong at all with this situation. Well, really there wasn't, but given that I thought that she knew my secret, I was terrified. "I didn't mean to intrude, but…" She bowed her head, closing her eyes for a small moment. That alone was enough to send chills up my spine. She looked back up at me with a sharp gaze that could pierce just about anything. "I have been concerned about your health recently." I must have had a _really_ confused look on my face because she continued her explanation. "Ever since your adoptive father left for the military last year, you have slowly started to become more and more of a recluse."

To say that I was relieved was a serious understatement.

Containing my sigh of relief, I said, "It's alright, Erza… I've just been cleaning more around the house lately. I didn't realize how dirty it was until I started having to look for the simple stuff, like the remote and Happy's leash. I still have a few rooms that I have to clean, but it's just taking me a while. By the time I'm done cleaning one room, I'm exhausted and don't want to do anything except for lounge on the couch…" It was the truth, and thankfully, Erza could see that. She accepted my assurance silently and relaxed. Smiling a little, I offered to make the two of us something to eat. Why not, after all? She was already here, I had just bought groceries, and I was kind of hungry.

[xXx]

We had eaten lunch together, a simple box meal being what we had eaten. Lunch had been lacking in conversation between the two of us, but I think that was mostly my fault. Erza was a bit of an intimidating woman, after all. She always had been, at least for as long as I had known her. It was just who she was. I just found it hard to talk to her sometimes. After the near heart attack that she gave me that day, I kind of welcomed the silence. As she was leaving though, I felt that I should strike a short conversation with her beforehand. "Hey, um…"

Okay, what could I say to her now? Especially now that her attention was directly on me. Well, when in doubt… Going with the first thing that went through my head surely wouldn't end _too_ terribly, right? That's usually what I had to do in order to talk to Erza whenever I couldn't think of anything else to say. "I'm going out tonight." She was looking at me in surprise, but before she could say anything, I quickly rambled on. "I met someone at the store and we exchanged numbers. I got asked out on a date, so…"

Erza placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it some with a firm grip. She offered me a gentle smile. "You want me to watch over Happy while you're gone," she stated.

Oh my god. Did that just work? Did that _actually_ work?! Point one to blurting out whatever came to mind first! "Yeah, if you don't mind. I hate leaving him home alone…"

Erza smiled warmly at me. "I would love to," she informed me. "Would you like for me to clean up your house some?"

I shook my head. "I can handle it so long as Happy is being taken care of," I assured her. She understood, but offered her help, still, should I desire it. I promised that I would, and with that, she took her leave, telling me that she would be back in a couple of hours.

With Erza gone, I decided to go ahead and take a shower, wanting to look presentable for my date with Cobra. Granted, out date wasn't for several hours, but it would be the first date that I've been on in a long time. I didn't want Cobra to think I was a slob or something. I may have been raised as a boy, but I was still a girl! I didn't want to give the guy any wrong ideas about me! Well, in terms of impressions, anyways. Gender-wise…

Well, I'll tell him if I trust him enough one day.

I washed my somewhat short pink hair several times with my orange peel scented shampoo and conditioner, taking my time as I did so. The relaxation that I felt due to the shower gave me time to think as I started to wash my lightly tanned skin with lemon scented body wash. Erza had said that she would be back later to watch over Happy, but it was only now that I realized that by the time I got home from my date with Cobra, it would be late into the evening. The decent thing for me to do would be to tell Erza that she was more than welcome to stay the night if she wanted to.

After rinsing myself off, I made the decision to send Erza a quick text message concerning that night after I got dried off and dressed in fresh clothes. As I stepped out of the shower, I grabbed my towel and dried myself off as much as I was able to. I wrapped my towel around myself, making sure that it would stay on before I went to wash my face, brush my teeth, and brush out my tangled mane. When my pink locks were tangle-free, I pulled my hair back into a short pony tail using a black pony tail holder.

I shot Erza a quick text about welcoming her to stay the night before I went to my dresser, pulling out a pair of boy shorts and slipping them on. I tossed my towel into the dirty clothes hamper. I grabbed a roll of gauze and started to wrap my chest. What little chest I had, I didn't need a bra for it, but it still bothered me that my breasts were so free without any sort of binding. After binding my chest, I went to my closet to pick out an outfit.

I couldn't help but fret over what to wear, though. A part of me wanted to impress Cobra, though I didn't know why that was. After going through my clothes, rejecting some and thinking about others, I finally found the right outfit I wanted; a black t-shirt with a red Fairy Tail band emblem, black shorts, and a pair of sandals. It was casual and it was me.

Donned in clean clothes, I went out to my living room, suddenly feeling nervous. I knew it was just my nerves, but I was afraid of making myself look stupid. Cobra was an attractive man, and even though he was a flirt, I could tell that he was a good guy. I felt as though maybe our relationship would be more than just one date. Granted, I had no real reason for thinking that, but still… I could sense that there would be something more between us. I really couldn't explain it. I found myself worrying at my bottom lip. I forced myself to stop.

I tried to sit and watch television for a while, hoping to calm my fretting mind. It helped some, but I still couldn't help but keep checking my phone every five or so minutes out of the need to check the time, even if it seemed like I would just forget what time it was the instant my phone returned to my lap. It was around four or so when Erza had returned, a backpack on her back and four bags in her arms, all filled to the brim. I couldn't help but welcome her presence and her habit of over packing as a great distraction.

"Am I going to sleep on the couch?" Erza asked me softly as she unloaded her bags by the end of the couch.

I shook my head. "No, we have a guest room that you can use," I told her. I showed her where it was before we returned to the living room, enjoying a bit of idle chat about some minor house rules. I made sure that Erza knew not to feed Happy until late, preferably before she went to bed. When she asked why, I told her it was because his full belly would calm his happy little butt down enough to let her sleep easy. After all of that was discussed, I found myself thanking her again for doing the favor for me. She assured me that it was no problem.

"So, how is it that you met your date exactly?" Erza asked me, crossing one leg over the other elegantly.

"Well…" I started, trying to think on it. "Like I said earlier, we met at the grocery store… I was trying to grab some boxes of Pocky when he came up behind me and grabbed one… He handed it to me and we went on from there." Erza looked at me with amusement. "What?"

"I've always had a sneaking suspicion that you weren't into girls," mused the red haired woman. My cheeks flared up some in embarrassment. Her smile grew just the tiniest bit.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I murmured, "Is it really that obvious?" Not that I would be into girls, given that I was one, but to Erza, I was a guy, so it was a little… unsettling that my attraction to guys was more obvious than I thought it was. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the female figure, but I wasn't into girls. I was straight, all the way.

"It took me a while to figure it out," Erza assured me, her words having a calming effect on me. "With as oblivious as you were to Lucy's advances, I couldn't help but wonder." Lucy had been flirting with me? My blush returned with a vengeance. Oops… I knew that I was dense sometimes, I would own up to that, but for me to not notice my friend's feelings for me? I couldn't help but feel a little bad. My feelings of guilt must have been written across my face because Erza placed a comforting hand over my own. "Don't worry. That was last year… She thinks that you aren't interested in being anything more than friends."

While that eased my guilt a little, I still felt a little bad. I forced a smile, though, nodding some. "Thanks, Erza," I said softly. We talked for a while longer, not really focusing on one set subject. We brushed up on current events of our neighborhood, who was dating who, and so on and so forth. When I asked about the red head's crush Jellal Fernandes, however, she fell silent.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, worried that I may have mentioned a sore subject.

Erza shook her head. "I'm just thinking of how I should tell you this…" She smiled warmly, a happiness in her eyes. "We started dating about a week ago."

The girl in me wanted to squeal happily in excitement and ask how they started going out in the kind of way that only a girl could. Well, a stereotypical girl, anyways. "How did it happen?" I asked, allowing an excited smile to curl the corners of my lips. I was hoping that it was something super sweet and overly romantic. It was the least that Erza deserved, especially from Jellal. I was practically on the edge of my seat, anticipating the answer.

"He had made me strawberry cheese cake with a homemade card and home grown lily to go with it," she told me softly. "He knew my favorite food and my favorite flower… I couldn't help but feel flustered. The card was well decorated, and I could tell that he had spent a long time trying to make it look perfect. The card asked me if I would give him a chance to prove himself to me. I told him that he already had and that's how we started dating."

I found my cheeks to be hurting from how insane my grin was at that moment. "I'm glad that you're finally going out with him. I know that he makes you happy, and that's what matters," I informed her, finding what Jellal had done to be the most perfect thing ever. The fact that he actually grew the lily he gave her, made the strawberry cheese cake just for her, and took his time in custom designing and decorating a card just to ask her out made me have a newfound respect for the man.

Erza looked as though she was about to say something when all of a sudden, we heard the sound of a car horn outside. Checking my phone, I found that it had been Cobra, waiting outside for me patiently. I stood quickly, sputtering out an alarmed, "I'll be back later on tonight. If you need anything, just call me, okay?" I heard Erza tell me to have fun as I rushed out the door to meet up with Cobra.

I instantly paled and swallowed. Crap… He came in a car… I felt a little ill just thinking about riding it. Despite that, I hesitantly forced myself to get in, smiling shakily. "Hey…" I said softly in greeting, buckling myself into the passenger side car seat.

He offered me a charming smile, one that had made my heart skip a beat in my chest. "Hey," he greeted in kind. "Are you ready for our date tonight?" _He_ certainly looked ready for our date, that was for sure. His hair was freshly washed, dried, and styled, slicked back and feathered in the back, and he was wearing a purple jacket over a skin tight white t-shirt, red jeans, and black boots. I had to keep myself from drooling over just how attractive he looked.

I nodded, tucking some loose pink locks of hair behind my ear. "I am," I told him. I shifted a little uncomfortably in my seat. "But I need to warn you that I have a problem with moving vehicles. As in, I suffer from severe motion sickness. Pills don't help at all, so I'm sorry if I'm not all that talkative in the car…"

Cobra looked at me in surprise before offering me a kind smile. "Have you tried closing your eyes and thinking about your happy place?" he asked me out of curiosity. "It could help you with your motion sickness."

Something in me really doubted that something so simple and basic could work on distracting me from my medical condition, but I didn't feel like I could really reject the whole idea all the way through and through. "I haven't," I admitted. "But there's a first time for everything, right?" I offered her a shaky smile, fighting the urge to hurl the moment he started to move the vehicle forward.

I closed my hazel eyes, leaning back in my seat. I slowly fell into my secret happy place, the world around me fading slowly away. While it didn't get rid of my motion sickness, it did ease the feeling of it considerably. I was somewhat surprised when I felt the car turn off, opening my eyes to find us at the movie theater.

Cobra took the key out of the ignition and looked at me. "Feeling any better?"

I beamed some. "A lot. I'm still a little sick, but I'll be alright. Thank you…"

**[xXx]**

**Good lord, this chapter is HUGE! I didn't realize it until I looked at the word count! I hope this makes up for the super late delay!**

**Remember, check my profile for the new schedule updates, and read and review, please!**

**~Dawn**


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